U.S. to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees -White House

WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has
directed his administration to prepare to take in at least
10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year, the White House said
on Thursday.

It is the first specific commitment the United States has
made toward increasing its acceptance of refugees from the
war-torn country.

Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the United
States has taken in 1,500 refugees, with 300 more expected to be
cleared by October.

But refugee advocates and some members of Congress said
taking in an additional 10,000 refugees did not go far enough
toward addressing the humanitarian crisis triggered by the war,
which has prompted a massive refugee influx into Europe.

In a letter distributed to House members and seen by
Reuters, Democratic Representative David Cicilline asked Obama
to accommodate 65,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.
Religious groups have called for the United States to accept
100,000 Syrian refugees.

European countries have taken in waves of migrants fleeing
violence. Germany allowed 20,000 migrants into the country over
the weekend and is preparing for 800,000 this year.

Melanie Nezer, vice president of HIAS, a global refugee
advocacy group, said that for the United States to allow 10,000
more refugees from Syria was not an adequate response to the
crisis.

"This is totally within the realm of what the current system
on autopilot could do. This is not time for autopilot. This is
time to really ramp things up," said Nezer.

The United States is conducting air strikes in Syria as part
of its effort to fight against Islamic State. It currently
admits a total of 70,000 refugees from around the world
annually, and is due to increase that total by 5,000 for the
fiscal year starting in October.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest would not say whether the
10,000 Syrians would be a part of or in addition to that total.

SECURITY CONCERNS

Earnest said national security was a top concern for
admitting Syrians, a country rife with anti-American militants,
noting that intensive security screening for refugees could take
up to 18 months.

"I do feel confident in telling you that the president will
not sign off on a process that cuts corners when it comes to the
basic safety and security of the American people and the U.S.
homeland," Earnest told reporters.

The additional background checks and processing will require
a "significant financial commitment" from Congress, Earnest
said.

Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Senate Judiciary
Committee on Wednesday, a requirement before the administration
can change the number of refugees allowed. Committee Chair Chuck
Grassley said he welcomed the additional 10,000 but that Kerry
was not clear about whether additional refugees would be allowed
later.

"Secretary Kerry initially said that the Obama
administration is seeking a reasonable increase in refugees
allowed into the United States in the upcoming fiscal year. But
when pressed, the administration indicated that they were
considering opening the floodgates and using emergency authority
to go above what they proposed to Congress in today's
consultation," the Republican lawmaker said in a statement.

Congress cannot block the administration from setting limits
on the number of refugees it admits from each region. But it can
block funding needed for staffing agencies such as the
Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and
Human Services that handle the screening and resettlement
procedures.